Man on viral video being deported, cop who questioned his immigration status fired

May 29, 2017

MINNEAPOLIS -- A man whose interaction with Metro Transit Police went viral after an officer asked him about his immigration status is being deported, reports CBS Minneapolis.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials say Ariel Vences-Lopez was detained for immigration violations on May 15.

The day before, Vences-Lopez was captured on cellphone video being questioned by a transit officer aboard a light rail train.

The officer asks Vences-Lopez if he is in the country illegally. The man who shot the video, Minneapolis artist Ricardo Levins Morales, interrupts the officer and questions his authority in terms of immigration matters.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers took Vences-Lopez into custody on May 16.

Metro Transit Police Chief John Harrington said in a statement posted on the department's Facebook page that the officer who questioned Vences-Lopez had been terminated.

(video may be seen at the source link)

"We … are working to reestablish the trust that was broken by this isolated incident," Harrington said.

The day before, Vences-Lopez was captured on cellphone video being questioned by a transit officer aboard a light rail train.

How did the guy know when to start recording the video? Convenient he just happen to be there recording when the officer asked about his immigration status. I know I'm too slow. By the time I got my phone out and figured out what to hit to start recording, the guy would have already been hauled off.